The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Unable to speak of her assault, a 17-year-old
girl begins acting out.

Friends and family don't understand
why Tori's shaved her head and started fighting. Sure, they know she broke up
with Matt, but that's no reason to sock a stranger right in the nose. Tori's
got a lot of free time right now: Her hair-trigger rage drives her friends
away, and an alleyway fight leaves her too injured for the soccer team. It's
almost a good thing her parents are forcing her to do community service, if
only to fill the days and distract her from the invasive, frightening text
messages from Matt. As a volunteer at a battered women's shelter, Tori bonds
with a particularly troubled girl, encouraging the child to reach beyond her
own nightmares and rescuing her from a deadly situation. Tori's emergence from
trauma is lightly sketched, a shorthand recovery that relies on narrative
conventions rather than character development—making for an easy read about a
hard topic, which is no bad thing. Unusually, her coming of age requires not
that she stop being violent but that she learn to apply violence appropriately.

A fast-paced book about healing
through helping others, speaking up and physical self-defense. (Fiction.
13-15)

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